Medical  Work  for  Women  in 
Shao-wu,  China 


THE  SHAO-WU  HOSPITAL 

Frances  K.  Bement 


llllllllllllllllllllllll 


The  New  Building  for  the  Shao-wu  Hospital. 


We  are  all  very  grateful  to  you  for  sending  Dr.  Bement.  Please  send  another 
doctor  for  our  cousins  far  from  Shao-wu. 


Medical  Work  for  Women  in 
Shao-wu,  hina 


THE  SHAO-WU  HOSPITAL 
.Miss  1'rances  K.  Bement 

You  will  need  twenty-one  days  to  go  from  San 
Francisco  to  Shanghai.  This  gives  you  one  day  in 
beautiful  Honolulu  and  two  days  in  Japan.  In  Shang- 
hai you  will  probably  have  to  wait  three  or  four  days 
for  a coast  steamer  to  take  you  to  Foochow,  and  you 
can  keep  busy  just  looking  at  people  and  streets, 
besides  other  interesting  things. 

You  are  not  really  in  China  until  you  reach  Foo- 
chow. and  not  even  here  since  the  fronts  of  so  many 
thousands  of  houses  have  been  cut  off  in  order  to 
make  the  hve  and  ten  feet  wide  streets  wide  enough 
for  the  auto.  One  feels  as  though  old  China  were 
fast  passing  away. 

But  when  you  take  one  of  our  little  row-boats  and 
start  up  the  river,  you  will  feel  that  you  are  really  in 
China.  You  will  hnd  the  hve  hundred  rapids  all  there, 
I believe.  However,  you  can  make  the  trip  now,  if 
you  carry  no  freight  and  take  the  very  smallest  boats 
and  have  good  strong  boatmen,  in  nine  days  instead 
of  seventeen,  as  of  old. 

The  scenery!  How  you  will  enjoy  it.  Mountains 
and  hills  of  all  kinds  and  shapes  on  each  side  of  the 
river  and  piling  up  row  on  row.  That's  why  it  takes 


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so  long'  to  go  up  the  river.  Sometimes  you  will  think 
you  are  going  right  through  the  mountains,  there  are 
so  many  rocks  on  either  side  and  sometimes  the  men 
have  to  get  out  and  lift  the  boat  up  over  the  rocks. 

If  a doctor  is  with  us  you  will  see  hundreds  of 
])atients  coming  to  the  boat  every  time  we  stop.  A 
doctor  does  not  i)as.s  by  every  day  on  the  banks  of 
the  River  Alin.  But  we  must  not  linger  but  hasten 
on  to  the  hospital  in  Shaowu.  You  will  want  to  stop 
in  the  yard  and  enjoy  the  beautiful  flowers. 

See  that  rose-bush  over  there.  I think  there  are 
over  a thousand  roses  on  it  just  now  and  a hundred 
school  children  can  stand  under  this  one  bush.  See 
the  beautiful  bamboos.  W'e  have  enough  to  decorate 
the  churches  and  houses  whenever  there  is  a wedding 
or  holiday,  commencement  or  Easter.  And  the  palm 
trees ! I think  there  are  over  a hundred  raised  from 
our  own  seed.  But  here  we  are  at  the  hospital  door. 

This  is  the  old  building  we  call  tbe  dispensary,  and 
this  is  where  the  medical  work  has  been  done  the  past 
eighteen  years,  but  just  over  that  wall  is  the  fine  new 
hosi)ital,  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long  and  fift}' 
feet  wide.  Xow  we  can  have  sixty  beds  and  room  for 
everything'.  \ es,  we  have  enough  for  a tubercular 
ward  and  an  isolation  ward  and  everything  else  that 
is  needed.  Y'e  even  have  a lot  we  now  use  for  our 
dairy.  W’e  think  we  can  hardly  do  without  it  here  in 
China  until  the  Chinese  get  milk  stations  established. 

There  is  little  Samuel.  He  has  come  to  say  that  his 
mother  is  better  and  they  can  do  without  milk  now 
and  let  some  more  needy  ones  have  it,  for  their  father 

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says  they  will  soon  have  some  of  their  owm.  How 
many  patients  a year  ? There  are  generally  about  six- 
teen thousand  each  year,  sometimes  more  than  that. 

See  that  little  child  with  a bottle.  He  has  come  to 
get  two  ounces  of  milk  for  his  baby  brother.  Oh,  yes, 
two  ounces  make  a lot  of  difiference  wdth  a sick  child 
here  in  China.  Gindea,  the  nurse,  gives  out  the  milk. 
She  has  her  measuring  glass  marked  off  rather  queerly 
and  if  you  ask  her  wdiy,  she  says:  “When  a per.son 
is  .so  poor  that  she  can  buy  only  one  ounce  of  milk, 
she  ought  to  have  a great  big  ounce,  but  if  people  are 
rich  enough  to  buy  a lot,  they  ought  to  be  able  to  pay 
for  all  they  get.” 

Notice  the  little  four-year-old  girl  with  a mark  on 
her  face.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was  born.  She 
was  one  of  those  the  doctor  could  not  help.  Did  they 
call  the  doctor?  Yes,  they  called  ten  times  but  the 
doctor  w'as  elsewdiere. 

Look  at  that  little  girl.  She  remembered  to  tell  her 
old  grandmother  how  to  prevent  chilblains  and  the 
dear  old  lady,  nearly  eighty  years  old,  stood  on  her 
door  step  and  told  every  passer-by : “Yes,”  .she  says, 
‘T  have  saved  from  severe  pain  nearly  a thousand  this 
winter,  and  many  come  along  and  thank  me  and  I am 
glad  God  can  use  a woman  as  old  as  I to  help  her 
fellow'  countrymen. 

Look  at  that  funny  woman.  She  has  come  back  to 
say  thank  you,  for  she  has  had  a dislocated  jaw  for 
six  rveeks  and  she  is  so  pleased  that  it  has  really 
stayed  in  its  proper  place  ever  since  Doctor  Bement 
put  it  there. 


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Notice  that  bright  young  girl.  Her  name  is  Anna 
Siao.  She  nearly  lost  her  eyesight  while  teaching 
over  in  Kien  Ning.  four  days  from  a doctor.  She  had 


Some  of  U3  will  soon  be  ready  to  work  in  the  new 
hospital  we  hope  you  will  start  in  Kien  Ning. 

just  graduated  from  our  school,  and  speaking'  of  soft 
jobs  and  places,  she  says:  “You  like  a soft  bed,  so 
do  I.  I have  a soft  plank  in  the  middle  of  my  bed.” 
A Chinese  bed  is  made  of  seven  boards  laid  across 


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two  long  narrow  stools.  Did  she  really  lose  her  eye- 
sight? Xo,  but  after  she  had  made  the  four  days’ 
journey  in  the  hot  sun  to  Shaowu.  her  eyes  were 
almost  hopeless,  and  it  took  nearly  a year  to  get  them 
into  even  fairly  good  condition.  The  doctor  does  not 
call  them  even  fairly  good  yet,  but  she  is  able  to  use 
them  in  her  work  and  she  is  a great  worker.  W hen 
she  talks  people  take  notice.  Yes,  I think  she  could 
tell  anv  storv  there  is  in  the  Bible  that  is  worth  while. 
She  has  spoken  to  an  audience  of  three  hundred,  many 
of  them  heathen,  or  non-Christian  I should  say,  I 
don't  like  the  word  heathen,  and  they  all  listened  and 
never  tired.  Y’e  shall  never  be  satisfied  until  we  have 
a doctor  or  a nurse  in  this  Kien  Xing  station  to  help 
our  Christian  workers  and  the  people  in  the  adjoining- 
counties. 

See  that  little  mother.  She  lost  her  mind  over  there 
during  her  little  one's  illness.  She  could  not  forget 
that  she  was  four  days  from  a doctor,  and  she  had 
learned  what  it  meant  to  have  a doctor  near  by,  for 
she  had  always  lived  in  Shaowu.  but  she  and  her  hus- 
band were  sent  to  this  far  away  field.  They  went  as 
brave  home  missionaries,  yes,  braver  than  many  for- 
eign missionaries.  But  when  her  mother-in-law  had 
been  sick  for  weeks  and  then  her  little  one  became 
very  sick  and  she  had  almost  no  sleep  for  weeks, 
it  was  too  much.  Yes,  she  lost  her  mind  for  several 
weeks  until  her  mother  went  to  her  and  brought  her 
back  home,  and  even  now  she  is  not  able  to  do  the 
work  she  had  been  doing  and  will  always  have  to  be 
more  careful.  Y’e  do  not  believe  it  pays  to  put  our 


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Christian  workers  in  such  hard  places,  and  we  have 
well  trained  doctors  and  nurses  now  from  our  own 
girls'  school  who  could  go  there.  Why  should  we 
expect  so  much  more  of  them  than  we  do  of  ourselves? 
Yes,  we  want  a doctor  at  least  in  Kien  Xing. 

See  that  little  woman.  She  had  been  married  ten 
years  and  no  child.  You  can  never  know  the  awful- 
ness of  the  meaning  of  that,  until  you  have  been  in 
China.  Pray?  The  whole  county  prayed  for  her  but 
she  says  now,  they  all  thank  God  and  Doctor  Bement 
for  the  man  child  that  has  come  into  their  home. 
I'he  doctor  worked  hard  all  night  and  she  herself  was 
sick  enough  to  be  in  bed,  but  she  knew  mother  and 
child  were  both  at  death’s  door.  Yes,  the  cost  was 
great,  but  she  says  it  was  worth  it  and  when  you  see 
the  gratitude  in  the  mother’s  face  and  the  change  it 
has  made  in  the  father,  yes,  and  the  grandfather  and 
grandmother,  you  too.  will  agree  that  it  was  worth  the 
cost  and  would  have  said  with  the  doctor,  if  you  could. 
“I  will  not  let  her  or  the  child  die.” 

See  that  beautiful  woman.  We  call  her  the 
^ladonna.  Her  little  one  died  because  the  doctor 
was  somewhere  else.  YYu  know  one  doctor  cannot 
be  all  over  in  seven  counties  all  at  once. 

See  that  other  little  woman  looking  at  the  flowers. 
She  sees  everything.  She  hovered  between  life  and 
death  for  days.  Her  child  died  at  birth  and  I buried 
it  near  the  wall.  You  know  ordinarily  they  hire  a 
beggar  to  take  a dead  child  ofif  and  throw  it  away,  or 
perhaps  bury  it.  but  I buried  this  one.  The  mother 
was  saved  and  she  is  the  Bible  woman  at  Stone  River 


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Mouth  and  how  she  loves  her  little  group  of  girls  and 
women.  The  doctor  worked  hard  to  save  her.  Stone 
River  Mouth  would  have  sufifered  a great  loss  had 
she  gone. 

See  that  tiny  three-year-old  ? Her  mother  died  in 
childbirth  before  the  doctor  could  be  reached.  She 
said  she  wanted  to  go  to  a hard  lonely  place  where 
others  would  not  go.  She  wanted  to  teach  the  little 
girls  some  of  the  lessons  she  had  learned.  She  found 
the  place,  it  was  hard  and  lonely.  Her  little  girl's 
name  is  Hannah  ; I think  someone  will  want  to  help 
Hannah  through  school.  She  is  a bright  little  girl 
and  I believe  she  will  make  a good  teacher  some  day. 
The  father  is  married  again  and  the  mother  now  has 
a child  of  her  own.  In  China  mothers  like  their  own 
children  best. 

I see  you  are  looking  at  IMrs.  Tung.  She  is  the 
hospital  Bible  woman.  She  lost  seven  children  before 
she  came  to  us.  Her  husband  was  our  personal  teacher 
and  while  he  taught  us  to  speak  in  the  Shaowu  lan- 
guage, he  learned  what  the  Bible  taught.  One  day 
I asked  him  to  teach  his  wife.  “Oh,"  he  said,  “She 
cannot  learn  any  more  than  a cow."  But  I insisted 
that  I had  some  letters  to  write  and  no  other  work 
tor  him  to  do  but  to  teach  his  wife.  When  he  came 
back  the  next  morning  he  said.  “She  cannot  learn.” 
and  he  said  the  same  thing  nearly  a dozen  times,  but 
one  morning  he  came  back  and  said,  “T  guess  she  can 
learn,  she  knows  one  verse.” 

She's  always  ready  to  hear  everyone’s  troubles  and 
always  has  a kind  word  for  everyone.  “Stupid!”  she 

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says  when  she  suggests  that  the  women  learn  to  read 
"Why  no  one  can  be  more  stupid  than  I.  Ask  my 
husband  and  see.  I am  sure  no  one  is  too  stupid  to 
learn  if  she  will  only  try.  Trouble!  who  can  have 
more  trouble  than  I,  having  lost  seven  children?  But 
since  we  have  learned  to  put  our  trust  in  God,  He 
has  given  us  seven  other  children  and  He  has  cared 
for  them  all  along,  He  and  Doctor  Bement.”  She  is 
well  able  to  tell  all  the  sick  about  the  Great  Physician 
and  how  He  has  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  the  good 
women  of  America  to  send  doctors  and  medicines  to 
heal  them  of  all  their  diseases. 

You  see  there  are  nearly  eighty  other  patients  here 
l)ut  you  can  never  know  about  all  of  them.  They  have 
malaria,  bad  eyes,  awful  ulcers,  and  all  sorts  of  stom- 
ach troubles  and  skin  diseases.  The  doctor  is  the 
only  one  who  takes  time  to  learn  of  all  these.  Doesn't 
she  get  tired  of  listening  to  everybody  who  wants  to 
tell  of  all  manner  of  ills,  pains  and  troubles?  Yes, 
but  she  is  sorry  for  them  and  wants  to  help  them 
when  she  can. 

I am  glad  you  are  here  today,  for  you  can  see  the 
Doctor’s  Bible  Class  of  about  sixty  women  and  chil- 
dren. Yes,  this  is  for  the  poor  and  needy,  for  those 
whom  others  have  not  yet  reached.  Oh,  yes,  the 
doctor  calls  on  them  all  in  their  homes  and  invites 
them  to  come.  She  teaches  them  herself.  She  serves 
tea  and  warcakes,  she  wants  them  to  have  a good 
time.  Some  days  she  gives  them  each  a handful  of 
peanuts.  Today  she  gave  each  one  a picture  ])ost 
card.  If  she  could  give  each  one  a garment  for  one 


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of  their  little  children  on  Christmas  how  glad  it  would 
make  them  all. 

These  women  have  only  been  coming  once  a week 
and  many  of  them  have  to  bring  one  or  two  or  three 
children.  It  is  a common  sight  to  see  a mother  with 
one  child  on  her  lap  and  another  leaning  against  her 
and  her  book  in  her  hand  studying  a verse  over  and 
over  again.  Hut  they  learn,  and  some  of  them  know 
nearly  a hundred  helpful,  joy  giving  verses  already, 
and  their  faces  look  brighter  and  their  lives  are  not 
so  empty  and  their  homes  are  happier  and  the  Doctor 
thinks  it  pays,  don't  you? 

Yes,  we  have  had  the  influenza.  Did  you  happen 
to  see  Doctor  Bement  following  that  coffin  along  yes- 
care  for  the  sick  in  the  hospital.  She  took  care  of 
the  others  until  the  influenza  took  her.  Yes,  I guess 
she  gave  her  life  for  others  all  right.  The  beautiful 
flowers  on  the  coffin  ? Oh.  yes,  the  little  children  said. 
“Why  Doctor  Bement.  you  are  picking  all  of  the  best 
ones.  Why  do  you  always  give  your  best  to  the 
poorest?"  “Because  the  rich  do  not  need  them  so 
much,"  and  did  you  see  the  Doctor,  the  only  person, 
following  the  coffin  to  the  grave?  Yes,  she  has  to 
know  about  and  care  about  so  many  that  no  one  else 
does. 

See  that  man,  he  wants  the  Doctor  to  go  three  days' 
journey  over  the  mountains  to  his  wife,  who  has  been 
sick  two  days  in  child-birth.  Can  she  go?  Xo.  It 
would  take  seven  days  if  she  stayed  only  one  day  and 
she  might  be  too  late  and  how  many  she  would  have 
to  neglect  near  by  those  seven  days.  When  we  have 


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our  little  hospital  in  Kien  Xing  with  our  Shaowu 
school  girl  as  doctor  this  need  will  be  supplied.  Some 
day  we  shall  have  at  least  one  trained  nurse  for  each 
county.  See  that  woman,  they  brought  her  four  days’ 
journey  on  a wheelbarrow,  over  rough  cobble  stones. 
Yes,  it  w'as  some  different  from  going  to  a hospital 
in  America. 

What  is  that  woman  bringing  a dozen  eggs  in  her 
big  handkerchief  for?  She  has  heard  that  the  Doctor 
eats  eggs  and  she  has  brought  them  to  show^  her 
gratitude.  Will  the  Doctor  eat  them?  Xo,  she  will 
i:)robably  give  them  to  some  poor  sick  child  or  to  a 
poor  old  woman.  But  it  pleases  her  just  the  same  to 
see  the  gratitude  of  the  patient.  Yes,  I think  they  are 
all  grateful. 

You  would  have  enjoyed  being  at  the  Doctor’s 
Birthday  Party.  It  really  show-ed  how^  many  of  these 
poor  people  do  express  their  gratitude.  But  most  of 
it  is  seen  in  the  tearful  eye  and  grateful  look.  Yes, 
it  is  good  to  see.  A mother  is  not  slow  to  see  when 
her  child  has  been  saved  and  never  forgets  it,  never, 
no,  never. 

And  now',  I w'ant  you  to  witness  two  Christmas  days 
in  the  hospital.  The  first  one  w'as  not  like  a real 
Christmas.  The  poor  Doctor  had  nothing  for  the 
helpers,  patients  or  little  folks.  X’o,  it  w'as  just  no 
Christmas  at  all.  But  the  second  was  as  different 
from  it  as  daylight  from  black  night.  Good  friends 
had  sent  pretty  little  garments  for  the  little  ones,  such 
cute  little  baby  jackets  just  like  those  the  children 
wear  in  America,  made  of  pink  tennis  flannel  ( no.  the 


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Chinese  would  never  want  a little  child  to  wear  white 
unless  they  were  entirely  foreign  trained.  It  would 
be  mourning.)  And  such  dear  little  bonnets  and  toys 


We  would  like  to  be  doctors  like  Dr.  Bement. 

and  the  dearest  little  dolls  about  six  inches  long  and 
handkerchiefs.  Yes,  and  someone  sent  a Victrola 
Record ! INIy ! we  hardly  knew  we  were  four  days’ 

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iourney  from  a wheeled  vehicle  or  a telegraph  station, 
or  an  electric  light,  when  we  heard  that  and  how  the 
school  girls  and  patients  do  enjoy  the  music. 

Are  you  dreaming?  Yes,  I am  dreaming.  Of 
what  ? C )f  that  Chinese  house  which  nobody  wants 
over  there  in  Kien  Xing.  Why  doesn't  anyone  want 
it?  llecause  they  say  there  are  evil  spirits  in  it.  Are 
there?  Xo.  It  only  needs  the  drains  cleaned  out,  the 
sunlight  let  in  and  a little  cleaning  and  putty  and 
paint  with  flowers  planted  about  it  and  it  would  make 
a fine  hospital.  A'ho  would  be  the  doctor?.  One  of 
our  two  Shaowu  school  girls  who  graduates  this  June 
from  the  Peking  Union  Medical  School.  How  much 
good  would  it  do  ? With  no  doctor  in  three  counties, 
how  much  good  could  be  done  if  one  were  put  there? 
Yes,  I believe  God  wants  it  and  1 can  see  it  there.  I 
know  it  is  going  to  be,  don't  you  ? Yes,  I see  a clean 
orderly  little  hospital  with  four  of  our  school  girls  in 
charge  of  it ; our  little  girls  now  grown  to  days  of 
wonderful  usefulness. 

One  is  the  doctor  in  charge,  with  her  diploma  from 
the  Peking  L’nion  Medical  School,  dated  June,  1919. 
( )ne  is  a well  trained  nurse,  earnest  and  eager  to  help 
save  life,  and  to  teach  mothers  how  to  save  life  too. 
And  \'irtue  is  the  iMatron.  She  who  says  there  are 
two  heavens,  one  where  God  is  and  the  other  is  the 
Girls’  School.  She  will  help  build  a new  heaven  in 
this  dark  earth.  And  Phoebe,  a steam  engine  for 
work,  will  be  able  to  do  all  good  works  abundantly. 
She  will  be  the  Hospital  Evangelist,  and  house  visitor 
and  social  settlement  worker.  She  already  has  more 


14 


than  one  street  Sunday  School  and  has  had  much  prac- 
tice during-  the  influenza  in  caring  for  the  sick. 

One  of  the  saddest  things  I ever  heard  was  the 
pounding  on  the  gates  and  the  cries  ‘‘Save  life,  save 
life,"  and  I knew  there  was  no  doctor  to  go.  Again 
1 hear  the  i^ounding  on  the  heavy  gates  and  again 
the  cries.  “Save  life,  save  life."  W ho  will  hear  and 
answer  “Send  me,  Send  me"? 


MEDICAL  WORK  FOR  WO-MEX  IX 
SHAO-WU,  CHIXA 

Two  million  people  are  in  this  remote  city  and 
vicinity. 

There  is  one  Woman's  Hospital  and  Dispensary 
for  these  two  millions. 

There  is  one  physician  for  the  women  and  little 
girls  of  these  two  millions. 

Eight  cents  a day  will  support  a bed  in  this  Hospi- 
tal— $30.00  a year. 

One  dollar  and  ninety  cents  a day  will  keep  Dr.  Lucy 
Dement  there — $685.00  a year. 


15 


J 


? 


WOMAN’S  BOARD  OF  MISSIONS  OF  THE  INTERIOR 
19  South  La  Salle  Street,  Room  1315 
Chicago 

Price  5 cents 


